Pig Torture? Official Doesn't See It That Way

May 08, 1995|By Ann Landers.

Dear Readers: Remember the cruel death of the hog at the Tyler County Fair? I received thousands of letters from outraged readers, and it appears that the repercussions of that inhumane act have taken on a life of their own.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush got wind of that column and decided to look into it. The governor asked the Texas commissioner of agriculture, Rick Perry, to investigate the incident.

Perry sent two staff members, Lorie Woodward and Katie Dickie, to Woodville, Texas, on a fact-finding mission. The women met with Carol Moffett, superintendent of the Woodville school district, Tom Harvey, principal of Woodville High School, and Don Shaw, Tyler County Fair Association president.

Woodward and Dickie, both knowledgeable about animals and livestock shows, said they believed the incident was "accidental" and the young man's actions to encourage the animal to eat and drink should not be construed as cruelty.

Rick Perry's letter to Gov. Bush contained this mind-boggling non sequitur: "The underlying issue which has created a whirlwind of attention is whether or not an animal has the same rights as a human being."

Stunned by that statement, I wrote to Commissioner Rick Perry with a copy to Gov. Bush as follows:

"I would like to call your attention to the fact that what occurred was a far cry from `encouraging the animal to eat and drink.' The boy who entered the pig in the Tyler County Fair competition put a water hose down the animal's throat in an effort to add several pounds to its weight so the hog could qualify for the competition. If this is not an act of cruelty, I don't know what is.

"Your statement, Commissioner Perry, that the underlying issue is `whether or not an animal has the same rights as a human' is absurd. The real issue here is that an animal was tortured by a young student, while several adults, including some teachers of Woodville High School and the principal of that school, stood around and did nothing. Sincerely yours, Ann Landers"

And here's more on the same subject:

Dear Ann Landers: You printed a letter from a woman who saw a boy murder his pig by forcing a hose down its throat. I, like you, was sickened by such behavior.

What concerns me almost as much as the boy's behavior is that the woman who witnessed this atrocity did nothing to help the animal. How can she and other horrified spectators condemn school officials for doing nothing when they themselves stood by "helplessly" and watched? What made them so helpless? Why didn't one of those outraged adults rip the hose out of that boy's hands?

The message to the children who witnessed that barbarous act is that standing by and doing nothing is acceptable. Had the adults stood up for what they believed in, a much stronger message would have been sent and the pig might have survived. This is a classic example of what is wrong with our country. Too many people don't want to get involved.

Valencia, Calif.

Dear Valencia: The problem of people not wanting to get involved has serious social repercussions that go beyond speaking out to stop the torture of a pig. Too many people have become reluctant to stick their necks out-and that is sad indeed. We all need to remember that we are our brother's keeper.

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